Upper Basic Stage Students’ Perspectives on the Importance of Using Story in Learning English
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1303.25Keywords:
basic upper classes, learning English as a foreign language (EFL), storytelling, story reading, language skillsAbstract
This study shed light on the perspectives of the upper basic stage students toward the importance of using the story in learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Jordan. The methodology adopted in investigating the students’ perspectives was mainly based on distributing a questionnaire to 400 students of both genders from three basic upper grades; 8th, 9th, and 10th. Before administering the questionnaire, a pilot study was conducted to check the reliability and validity of the questionnaire. The study findings were based on three domains of the questionnaire and appeared as follows: first, students revealed their awareness of the importance and benefits of using stories to improve their learning of EFL; second, the majority of the students strongly agreed on the fact that using stories has proven helpful in improving the basic skills of language learning; third, the students’ perspectives showed variance concerning the difficulties that the students faced when reading the stories. The study concludes with the recommendation that further research should be conducted on a larger sample that comprises all education levels in Jordan.
References
Cameron, L. (2001). Teaching languages to young learners. Cambridge university press.
Cleven, J. G. (2006). Training and Mentoring Childcare Providers in Story Sharing: Effects on Vocabulary and Story Retelling for Four-Year Olds, and Story Sharing Behaviors of Childcare Providers [Doctoral thesis, North Carolina State University], Retrieved on 14 December 2022 from http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/resolver/1840.16/5852
Collins, M. F. (2004). ESL preschoolers' English vocabulary acquisition and story comprehension from storybook reading. Boston University.
Erkaya, O. R. (2005). Benefits of Using Short Stories in the EFL Context. Asian EFL Journal, 8, 1-13.
Godwin, D., & Perkins, M. (2013). Teaching language and literacy in the early years. David Fulton Publishers.
Hammett, C. T. (2009). The effects of physical movement during story time on vocabulary acquisition of primary students in grades k-1: an exploratory investigation in one school location. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, PO Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106.
Hişmanoğlu, M. (2005). Teaching English through literature. Journal of Language and Linguistic studies, 1(1), 53-66.
Jenkins, T. F. (2002). Mothers' stories: Influences on vocabulary and syntax of African American children with and without language impairment. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Khorashadyzadeh, A. (2014). Why to use short stories in speaking classes. International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching in the Islamic World, 2(1), 9-15.
Laine, E. (1997). The place of storytelling in language teaching. Learning language through literature: A sourcebook for teachers of English in Hong Kong, 65-72.
Lorenzo, J. (2012). The effects of storytelling and play on vocabulary acquisition and retention in young children. (Order No. 1510414). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1016169882). Retrieved on 19 December 2022 from https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/effects-storytelling-play-onvocabulary/docview/1016169882/se-2?accountid=11248 .
Maqabilah, R. R. M. The Effects of Teacher's Storytelling Aloud on the Reading Comprehension of EFL Learners [Doctoral dissertation, Yarmouk University].
Miller, E. (2011). Theories of story and storytelling. Retrieved on 26 January 2023 from http://www.storytellingandvideoconferencing.com/67.pdf.
Ochs, E., & Capps, L. (2009). Living narrative: Creating lives in everyday storytelling. Harvard University Press.
Pardede, P. (2011). Using short stories to teach language skills. JET (Journal of English Teaching), 1(1), 14-27.
Uchiyama, T. (2011). Reading versus telling of stories in the development of English vocabulary and comprehension in young second language learners. Reading Improvement, 48(4), 168-179.
Uddin, R. (2009). Implementing counseling techniques: Role play and storytelling in teaching second language vocabulary to adult second language learners. [Doctoral dissertation, The University of Mississippi, UMI Number: 3358517]
Woodruff, L. B. (2000). The effects of story exposure, instructional group size, and pre-kindergarten experience on story comprehension and receptive vocabulary in kindergarten children. [Doctoral dissertation, Howard University].
Yang, C. C. R. (2009). A Case Study of the Use of Short Stories in a Junior Secondary ESL Classroom in Hong Kong. Online Submission, 16(1), 35-50.
